Monday, June 1, 2015

The second best result I could hope for! And Namestnikov

So obviously the best I could hope for would feature the Devils in the Cup final against a scrub team and they would win in 4 straight. However, that wasn't even close to happening so my two adopted teams (Hawks of course) and the Lightning are in the finals. While Brett Connolly is no longer in Tampa, I still really enjoy watching them play and have kind of adopted them as one of my teams. I also banked my hockey pool heavily on TB and with a 24 point lead and the entire Triplet line on my roster it is safe to say I won that pool.

So who do I want to win the Cup? I honestly don't know. I have been cheering for the Hawks since the 1990 and I have followed the Lightning pretty closely over the past couple seasons and they have some very deserving players on the roster. I guess I will just sit back and enjoy what will probably be an amazing Cup final and be happy no matter who wins.

Speaking of winning, here is a little gem!

14-15 SPx Spectrum FX Red Rookie Auto /399 Vladislav Namestnikov

It is almost unfair the amount of young talent the Lightning have in their system. While it is pretty easy to give all the credit to Steve Yzerman, the fact of the matter is the scouting staff has done an amazing job drafting early, drafting late and even finding undrafted talent (Tyler Johnson). When you have a 3rd overall pick (Drouin) sitting in the press box that just shows the world the amount of talent on your roster. One player who doesn't always get much press is Namestnikov. He finished up his rookie season compiling 9 goals and 16 points in 43 games after putting up over a point a game in the AHL this year (35 points in 34 games). He currently is playing on the 4th line but is available to jump up on the higher lines if an injury were to occur. Namestnikov is only 22 years old and symbolizes the bright future Tampa will have going forward win or lose after the season.